Fishing, pollution threaten crucial seagrass

Ocean pollution is a threat to marine life. Seagrasses, which are habitats to over 20 per cent of the world’s largest 25 fisheries and filter pathogens, are at risk of being wiped out. PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH

Kenya has lost more than a quarter of seagrasses, a critical marine life habitat along the coastal area in the last three decades, the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) has said.

Unep, in a new report titled Out of the blue: The value of seagrasses to the environment and to people, launched on World Oceans Day on June 8, blamed this loss on unsustainable human activity such as fishing, dredging, sedimentation from farms and seaweed farms.

According to the report at least 26 per cent of the country’s seagrasses, comprising some 12 species, are on the decline.

Known as the ‘lungs of the sea’ due to their role in producing oxygen in the water, the flowering plants that grow entirely underwater perform numerous functions including stabilising the sea bottom, providing food and habitat for other marine life, and providing numerous other services to coastal communities.

SEAWATER POLLUTION

The loss, according to the organisation, has led to a decline in coastal productivity, affecting certain supportive functions of the marine plant and causing loss of critical fisheries habitat.

Seagrass ecosystems are biologically rich and highly productive, providing nursery habitats to over 20 per cent of the world’s largest 25 fisheries and filtering pathogens, bacteria and pollution out of seawater.

On Kenya’s coastline, seagrass supports sizeable populations of three endangered species: the greenturtle, the Dugongdugon and seahorses, which mainly feed on seagrasses, says Unep.

“Seagrasses are the super ecosystems of our oceans, providing an incredible range of benefits to people around the world. Yet, while their flashier counterparts attract more attention, they remain among the most unheralded aquatic environments on Earth. The Out of the Blue report showcases the many ways that seagrasses help people thrive and sustain the healthy natural environment that we all depend on,” said Dr Maria Potouroglou, seagrass scientist at GRID-Arendal and lead editor of the report, during its launch.

Unep said despite their importance, new data suggest that seagrasses are among the least protected coastal habitats. “Seagrasses purify water, protect us from storms, provide food to hundreds of millions of people, support rich biodiversity and efficiently store carbon. Protecting and restoring them is vital”, said Ronald Jumeau, Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador for Climate Change, Seychelles.